Worksheet for Meeting Three

Prior to the Meeting

Call Scouts who volunteered to contact potential Guests for the Activity Buffet and the Scout who is presenting the Best of America to remind them ahead of time. 

Since your team does not have a Team Leader yet, Team Counselors can facilitate the meeting.  However, please remember our Scouts choose, organize, and lead their own programs, so adults should step down so Scouts can step forward as quickly as possible.  Elections will be held during the fourth meeting.

Did and Do time can be used to accomplish simple Challenges that can be done right there at the meeting.  Since this is your first meeting, the Team Counselor is responsible for bringing along anything necessary for the Challenges.

Depending on which Challenges are chosen to be accomplished during the first meeting, decide which items will need to be brought along.  For example, if the Scouts are going to tie a knot, rope should be brought, and they are coming to pack backpacks, backpacks must be brought along.

At the Meeting

Scouts voiced their preferences for how the room was set-up at the last meeting, just follow their instructions.

Early Arrivals

Scouts who arrive early can help get ready or play a game.  Preferably, Scouts can play outside, if weather permits, games like Frisbee or basketball.  This will help them work out their energy in a constructive way before sitting down to a quiet meeting.

The Meeting

This meeting must be FUN.  All meetings should be FUN, but it is vital that Scouts have FUN during their first several meeting because that is what is going to encourage them to come back.

Jump Start

Jump Start.  Possible Jump Start subjects include: 

Ideas for a first Jump Start Activity are: 

• What is your favorite subject in school?
• What do like about it?

Best of America

Best of America:   The chosen Scout presents the Best of America section.  Possible options include talking about the flag, or presenting a play about the American Revolution.  Scouts can wear wigs and dress up!

Personal Hero

During this portion of the meeting a Scout volunteers to name someone they consider a hero.  Scouts may choose anyone they want.  Popular choices include historical figures, athletes, mythic action heroes, or figures from the heritage of their faith.

Team Time

Team Time is the portion of the meeting in which Scouts discuss information or take part in activities are that are relevant to the entire team. 

At this meeting, if it has not already been done, team time will include having the Scouts or their parents fill out their forms and gathering their information.

• Nominations for team officers are discussed and defined.  Scouts should be educated about the importance of the democratic process and voting.  It should be explained that they should vote for the best person for the job, not necessarily a friend. 

• Orientation.  If new Scouts arrive, a brief explanation is given of the Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA and how participation can be of a positive influence in the Scouts’ lives.

• A Scout volunteers or is chosen by their fellow Scouts to present the Best of America portion of the next meeting.

• Every Scout should be placed in a position in which they have some responsibility for the next meeting.  This will encourage them to return for then next meeting.

• Scouts vote and decide via consensus whom they want to be Activity Buffet Guests at the next couple of meetings, and Scouts volunteer to contact them. 

• Consensus means the Scouts discuss the issue until they all agree.  The concept of consensus should be explained to the Scouts and its relevance to team meetings.  The Knights of the Round Table used consensus to make decisions.  Detailed instructions can be found in the Consensus document included in your starter kit.

• Scouts need to choose which Guests to invite to the next meeting, and they will be doing it via consensus. Detailed instructions can be found in the document “How-To Hold an Activity Buffet”, included in your starter kit.  Choices for Guests include but are not limited to:

• Fire and police personnel
• Doctor
• Nurse
• EMT
• Local merchant
• video creator

• Scouts can plan a Recruitment Activity, such as a picnic, bowling trip, or pizza night.  More detailed instructions can be found in the Recruitment document.

Friendship Activities:  A possible suggestion:  Musical chairs, charades, and 10 Questions (rather than 20).

Scout Spirit!

The purpose of the Scout Spirit! portion meetings should be explained to the Scouts.  The Scout Spirit! portion of  meetings provides our Scouts the opportunity to understand and appreciate the guideposts they have been provided by participating in our Scout Programs.  At each meeting, a Scout volunteers to lead their fellow Scouts in saying a portion of the Scout Program they have chosen.  Afterwards, the Scout who led the others will personally comment on what those words mean to them.

Within the first couple of weeks, all the Scouts are expected to memorize the Scout Promise, Scout Code, Scout Motto, and Scout Spirit.  Scouts need to be able to demonstrate the importance of those guideposts by using them in their daily life, and be able to explain their importance in the future.

  The Scout can choose from the following:
• the Scout Promise
• Scout Code
• Scout Motto
• Scout Spirit
• the inspiration of Adventure Scouts USA (can be read)
• the inspiration of the Scout Movement (can be read)

Crew Time:  Scouts can begin to form Crews.  Knowing other Scouts are counting them will also keep them coming.  Games should be encouraged to help Scouts get to know each other.  Options for team building activities include but are not limited to: 

Untie-Yourself – in this game all the Scouts stand in a circle and with their left hands reach out and take someone’s hand across the circle from them.  Then with their right hand, they take someone else’s hand.  The Scouts then try to untie and untangle themselves without ever letting of anyone else’s hand as try to find a solution as a group.

Bingo – Scouts make a game board from construction paper and make a grid of separate squares on it.  In each square they write a random fact, for example, “Favorite color is green”, or “Has a little brother”; they then go around the room interviewing each other trying to fill in as many squares as possible with a Scout’s name.

The Desert Island Game – Scouts meet in their groups and are given a list of things.  They decide if they were stranded on a desert island, which of these things they would bring along.  They are maximum of ten items they can bring and a list of around 30.

Snack Time:  Scouts can enjoy some snacks during this period.  Scouts say a brief thanks before the meal before having their snacks.

Suggestions include granola bars carrots and celery sticks, as well as 100% fruit juice.

Activity Buffet:  This is the portion of the meeting where Scouts get to choose the Guests they would like to interact with invite those Guests to the meeting.  The Sheriff for a Meeting introduces the Guests.

Guests will present their learning-by-doing sessions during this period.

Did and Do:  Did and Do can be accomplished at the first few meetings by doing a Challenge right there at the team meeting.  Detailed instructions can be found in the How-To Do the Did and Do portion.  Simple Challenges which can be completed at a meeting include but are not limited to:

• Tie a Bolan knot
• Make a paper Mache animal
• Perform a one act play
• Pack a backpack
• Make a first aid kit

Clean-Up:  The meeting location should be left cleaner than when the team arrived.  Scouts can play Beat the Clock while cleaning up.  Beat the Clock can make a game out of any activity and it is race to get the activity done well and done as quickly as possible.  See the Beat the Clock document for more information.

Announcements:  Announce the next meeting and time and remind those Scouts who have been given a responsibility such as telephoning potential Guests, or presenting the Best of America segment next time of what they should be doing.

Closing: The Closing Activity should be FUN and enjoyable. This is the grand finale and should be memorable. People remember the beginning and the end of meetings, so we want it to be FUN! Choices include but are not limited to:

• Scouts can play historical figure Charades, in which each Scout writes the name of an historical figure on a slip of paper and the Scouts who picks it, must act our that character.

Departure

Note to the Team Counselors:

At least one Counselor must stay until every Scout has been picked up, however everyone must be in a group of three at minimum – two adults to one Scout or two Scouts to one adult.  Under no circumstances is an adult ever alone with an individual Scout (unless they are the parent or guardian of that Scout). At least one Counselor must stay either with another Counselor or with another adult to meet our youth protection standards.  We know our Counselors have gone through a background check; it is inappropriate to leave a Scout with an adult who has not undergone a background check, such as a parent or guardian of another child.  This is true of every meeting, program, and activity.